Ten Steps to Grant Funding Your Vegan Work, by Diana Goldman, VLCE

This post outlines how I obtained grant funding to do what I love (teach free vegan cooking classes to low-income groups) and how you can too!

Network with Likeminded People

At a Forks Over Knives screening, I met an attendee who is a board member of Mission Hill Health Movement (MHHM), a non-profit organization that focuses on the health and quality of life for Boston residents. He was interested in my experience teaching vegan cooking classes.

Present your Idea

I presented a proposal for vegan cooking classes to MHHM board members and shared the following information:

Diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity and some cancers disproportionately effect underserved populations and they can be prevented with appropriate diet.

My goal is to debunk common myths about vegan cuisine by teaching participants that it can be health promoting, nutritionally adequate, delicious, satisfying, inexpensive and easy to prepare.

Vegan cooking classes could help to meet MHHM’s mission.

Ask for Introductions to Other Partners

MHHM was eager to form a partnership and willing to provide some funding. They introduced me to a variety of potential host organizations. Ultimately, Roxbury Tenants of Harvard (RTH), a low-income housing development offered to host a series of five, free, two-hour cooking classes in their kitchen. RTH offered to provid some funding towards the cost of running the program, now named “Jazz Up Your Veggies” (JUYV).

Find a Partner

Rich Roll, plant-based ultra endurance athlete, says, “pursue what’s in your heart and the universe will conspire to support you.” That was certainly the case when it came to meeting my program partner Annie. Newly graduated from PCRM’s Food For Life program, she had reached out to my contact at MHHM with the hope of finding leads for teaching cooking classes. He introduced us and I was thrilled to have her join me. She’s become a great friend, teaching partner and is instrumental in the success of our program. I can’t imagine JUYV without her.

Design the Curriculum

Together Annie and I chose four recipes per class that were simple to prepare, delicious, require no fancy appliances or expensive ingredients. Our target was to share recipes that would allow participants to eat vegan on $5/day. Here’s our flyer:

Prepare Pre and Post Program Surveys

One of our main goals was to design and deliver a program that proved that attitudes and behaviors can be changed. The surveys were very helpful for tracking these changes. Survey results provide compelling data for measuring success, modifying the program and attracting future funders.

Reach out to Local Establishments for Donations

With the sponsorship from the two non-profits MHHM and RTH, we were able to solicit donations to cover the costs of food and supplies. Supermarkets in particular were very enthusiastic about supporting our program and they donated generously.

Teach

What a blast! We loved the group. Here they are:

Analyze Survey Results

Based on our pre- and post-survey findings, we learned, among other things, that 100% of participants’ diets improved, 69% of participants decreased consumption of animal products, 100% of the participants’ knowledge about the nutritional and health benefits of plant-based foods improved and 100% of the participants would recommend the program to others.

Apply for Funding

Research to find out which foundations might be interested in funding your classes. I searched the web for foundations with a variety of different missions including a focus on improving the health of the underserved and educating the public about health and nutrition. Design your grant applications to meet the requirements of the foundations’ requests for proposals and be sure to include survey data. Ultimately, we applied for a grant from Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare Foundation to teach our JUYV healthy cooking program. We were beyond thrilled and very grateful to receive almost $20k to teach 12 cooking classes!

If you are interested in learning more about obtaining grant funding or teaching JUYV classes, please feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you!

With warmest wishes,

~Diana

Diana Goldman, VLCE received a B.S. from Cornell University in Nutritional Science and an Ed.M. from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Never too old for change and looking at the world in new ways, she became a vegan at 48 years of age and returned to Cornell to obtain a Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition. Additionally, she attended Main Street Vegan Academy where she trained to become a Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator. She loves sharing information about the joy, peace of mind, palate pleasure, and health benefits that come from a vegan lifestyle. She teaches plant-based cooking classes and vegan seminars and shares recipes and helpful resources on her website www.beantownkitchen.com.

"The great news these days is that vegan living is for everyone. This is such an important message, and I applaud Victoria and JL for their beautiful book that will help so many people renew their commitment to a vegan lifestyle or find the courage to take the first steps." - Emily Deschanel